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Crispy Chili Pork Noodles
5 min
15 min
Serves: 4
The whole idea here is to let the pork do the work. Eighty-twenty ground pork throws off a serious amount of its own fat as it browns, so if you also start the pan with oil you end up with an oil slick, especially at double batch. Instead we go dry pan, render, drain off the excess, then bloom the pastes and chili crunch in just enough of that flavorful fat to carry everything. The chili crunch goes in raw with the pork so the flakes and garlic toast right in the hot fat, and the sesame oil waits until the very end so it stays nutty instead of burning off. It came out mind blowingly good, and it reheats even better.
Steps
- Render and brown the pork. Set a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add no oil. Add the pork in large chunks and let it sit undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes to build a deep caramelized crust, then flip and break it into finer crumbles until fully cooked through. The fat you want is the fat the pork gives up on its own.
- Drain the excess fat. Slide the pork to one side of the pan and tilt it so the rendered fat pools at the bottom. Spoon or blot out all but about 1 tablespoon. This single step is what keeps a double batch from going greasy while leaving just enough fat to carry the aromatics.
- Bloom the pastes and chili crunch. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, and chili crunch right into the pork and stir-fry for 60 to 90 seconds. With the heavy grease gone, the pastes cling to the meat and toast instead of swimming in oil.
- Glaze and finish. Pour in the soy sauce and brown sugar and toss hard for about 1 minute, until the sugar dissolves and glazes the pork. Turn off the heat entirely, then drizzle over the toasted sesame oil and toss once more. Adding it off heat keeps its delicate nutty aroma intact.
- Cook the noodles and assemble. Boil the two noodle blocks for exactly 3 minutes, reserving 3 to 4 tablespoons of the cooking water before you drain them. In a large serving bowl, whisk the Tingly Chili sauce packets with that reserved water, then toss the hot drained noodles until glossy. Top with a mountain of the crispy chili pork.
Notes
- Oil control is the whole gameStart dry, render, and drain. If you skip the drain and add sesame plus cooking oil on top of the rendered pork fat, it turns into a slick fast. One tablespoon of reserved fat is all the aromatics need.
- LeftoversSince this is a double batch, store the extra pork and noodles in separate containers. Reheating the pork in a skillet or microwave releases a little more fat that re-sauces the noodles perfectly, without turning them mushy.
